Airport News
Cigarette smugglers halted at Newcastle Airport
Tue, 30 Nov, 2010
Newcastle Airport was the site of an attempt to bring in more than a quarter of a million cigarettes to the UK last week.
Smugglers were intercepted by UK officers from the UK Border Agency when 17 passengers who passed through security were found to have a range of luggage stuffed full of cigarette packets and rolling tobacco, UK Airport News reports.
Assistant director of the UK Border Agency Fred Simmons claimed the find marked a "significant haul" and is a testament to the tight controls placed on UK borders.
"Tobacco goods on this scale would defraud the government and the taxpayer out of a significant amount of revenue," he said.
This comes after Newcastle Airport revealed it had won the award for Best UK Airport from the British Air Transport Association.
Chief executive of the facility Dave Laws claimed he was overwhelmed by the prize, which he said marked an exceptional 2010 for the hub.